The Save or Just Suck List
This is a list for animate enemies whose
AC is too high to hit (even with a touch attack),
SR is to high to cast a normal SoD, and whose
saves are too high for even a partial entry thanks to improved evasion and improved mettle or a few dirty Master Specialist levels.
Categories outside this thread's scope:Buffs I love them, but they won't hurt your enemy.
Pets Summoned monsters and animates is fun and all, but...
Unrelated to enemies You solved the case but the BBEG slaughtered you.
CL, hit roll or DC Boosts Why risk it?
Spells:
Acid Fog: solid fog + 2d6 acid
Acid Rain [HoB 124]: 20'r, 40'h cylinder deals 7d6 acid damage plus DC10 balance checks
Aerial Alarm [HoB 124]: As alarm but 2 hours/level and 500' high
Alarm: wards for tiny to large size creatures
Alarm, Greater [SpC 8]: Works on neighboring planes
Anarchic Storm [SpC 11]: 20'r, 20'h perception penalties, 2d6 to lawfuls, random 5d6 electric
Anathema [CoR 28]: only for those of same faith and lower level, not useful for enemies
Antimagic Field: we know that this is rarely a "buff"
Axiomatic Storm [SpC 22]: as anarchic storm but lawful
Blinding Glory [BoED p. 92]: blinds all Evil creatures who remain in 100' radius of caster, lasts 1 hr./level. no darkness spell can counter it.
Buzzing Bee [SpC 41]: -10 move silent & concentration, only a distraction if not deaf.
Caustic Mire [CM 98]: 20'r where each square costs 10' and moving or staying in any square deals 1d6 acid. Fire damage deals +1 per die.
Cloudburst [SpC 48]: Rain obscures vision, extinguishes fires, and hampers missiles.
Consecrate: debuffs for undead
Dispel Magic &, Greater: Probably useless if your caster level is low, but maybe its higher than his buffs (similar enough to dispelling screen)
Dust Storm [DR331 p. 71]: 1 std. act., med. range, creation effect, 60' by 30' tall cylinder, conceals and deals 1d6 slashing damage to creatures ending turn inside area. Obscures vision and darkvision beyond 5'.
Elemental Prod [MoE 96]: pidly damage, movement and very restricted type
Fireward [PGF p. 102]: The AMF of magical fires. As an attack spell this is only useful against Elemental Fire creatures, but for creatures of that type it does 1d6 damage/level, 15d6 max
Fog Cloud: gives concealment, blocks darkvision
Force Cage: trap them into a dangerous area and wait for them to fail a save.
Freezing Fog [CArc p. 108]: 1 std. act., med. range, 20' radius by 20' high cloud, 1d6 damage/round, penalty on attack rolls blocks all sight to 5'.
Gate: conjure enemy to a hostile plain before plane shifting. Persistant Zone of Respite foils this.
Glitterdust: invisible enemies are visible and take -40 to hide checks regardless.
Guards And Wards: recreates some wardings but allows no save
Haboob [Sand 117]: 20' sphere move or take up to 5d4
Harmonic Void [CS99]: Casters in 60' of you must succeed on Concentration check to use verbal-component spells (DC 20 + spell level). Spell is used up on failure.
Hail of Stone [SpC 108]: 5d4 max damage in small area
Holy Storm [SpC115]: -4 listen, spot, search & ranged attacks, 100% extinguish unattended flames, 50% protected, 2d6 to evil creatues, 4d6 evil outsiders. Holy water or 25gp component
Ice Slick [Fr 100]: similar to grease but no reflex. Mildly DM dependent.
Ink Cloud [SpC 123]: Fog Cloud for underwater
Mark of Doom [PH2 119]: 1d6 for each hostile action if target difference by an alignment axis.
Magic Miasma [SpC 137]: -4CL, -2DC for spells cast in fog
Necrotic Bloat [LM 67]: max 10d6 50% vile with mother cyst focus to necrotic cyst living creature
Orb of x [SpC 150,151]: varying damage amounts and types, some with save-able after effects. The favorite of Mailmen builds.
Pyrotechnics: a bard's fog cloud but other cannot see in at all.
Raging Flame [DR314 p. 21]: 1 std. act., med. range, burst effect, affects nonmagical fire, 2d6 nonmagical fire damage to all creatures who have caught fire as fires double.
Repel Metal or Stone: repels those objects and the creatures wearing them 60'
Reaving Dispel [CArc 119]: as greater dispel but better bonus and chance to take buffs
Rushing Waters [Und 62]: +30 Bullrush and puts out large bonfires plus save for prone
Slashing Dispel [PH2 125]: As dispel magic but creatures take 2 damage/spell level for each spell dispelled
Sleet Storm: 1 std. act., long range, 40' by 20' high cylinder, completely blocks vision (incl. darkvision), hampers movement with balance checks
Spell Theft [CS 104]: Instantly know all spells effecting the target. Make dispel check (d20 + CL, max +15) vs DC 11 + spell's CL to steal any spell capable of being dispelled with you are the legal target
Spell Vulnerability [PlH 104]: Target takes penalty on spell resistance equal to caster level up to 15. Includes a fort save but the DC is essential boosted by your CL.
Telepathy Block [BoED 109]: blocks all telepathic communication on a creature or area.
Transfusion [DragMag399 78]: touch creature for 1 full minute to do 1d6+CL up to 5 penalty which becomes insight bonus for 1min/CL
Turbidity [Storm 123]: very similar to ink cloud but 0 range.
Unholy Storm [PlH 106]: pretty much holy storm but against good, no expense on material component
Wall of Sand [PGF p. 118]: 1 std. act., med. range, creation and earth effect, creates wall = 5' square/level, blocks ranged attacks, hampers movement, can't breather while passing through it, grants cover and total concealment.
Zone of Natural Purity [ECS 117]: -1 attack and save rolls for aberrations.
Note: I can't believe we didn't have this on this board. I will be updating. If it doesn't require a hit roll, doesn't allow SR and gives an effect that doesn't even allow a partial save, we need it in this list. I'm only about half way done with my list